Looking at the room after the battle, Harley frowned slightly.
She had thought she might be able to get something out of it, after all, even the remains of a demigod could be used to make a makeshift Sealed Artifact.
But Harley hadn't expected her opponent to be so ruthless, using a desperate ability that left not even a speck of ash behind.
Harley found that a real shame. Even the ashes of the powerful had certain special effects.
As for the threat posed by that gray light, Harley wasn't particularly worried.
Voldemort claimed he wasn't at full strength. Was Harley? Who wasn't going into battle badly wounded?
As for Voldemort's claim that he couldn't die, Harley found it even more laughable.
The demigod Seers of the Mithraic Order also claimed they couldn't die. A few of them, whether Sequence 3 or Sequence 4, could use Marionettes to switch places endlessly and save their own lives.
And yet the Mithraic Order was still like a pack of rats in the sewers, never daring to show their faces. Any Orthodox Church could easily keep them down.
Every now and then, one of them got particularly arrogant, but they never lasted long before the Red Gloves of the Evernight Goddess beat them into Sealed Artifacts.
The Saints of the Aurora Order claimed to have mastered the magic of flesh and blood, able to recover no matter how grievously they were injured.
But over Harley's long life, the Saints had gone through countless generations. Quite a few had been beaten to death by demon hunters from the Church of the God of Combat.
Even at the height of her own power, when she was known as the Witch of Immortality, Harley had known better than anyone how to kill herself.
So Harley had never believed that anything was truly immortal. "Immortal" simply meant no one had found the right way to kill it yet.
The only thing that had displeased Harley about the battle was that she hadn't gotten any spoils.
No, it wasn't quite true that she'd gotten nothing. After quickly cleaning up the scene, Harley looked at the red stone in her hand.
"So Voldemort came for a Life Stone? He wanted to rebuild his body?" Harley murmured, looking at the stone in her hand.
During her long life, Harley had spent some time at sea.
There, she had met people from the Church of the Earth Mother.
So, naturally, she knew about the Ancient Alchemist Sequence, and that they could make a miraculous Life Stone said to cure any injury and even rebuild a body.
Back then, Harley had been a Demoness of Despair, and she had naturally coveted the Life Stone.
After all, it could extend one's life and heal injuries. In a pinch, it was like having an extra life.
But this Life Stone had nothing to do with Harley. Since Professor Dumbledore had personally brought it out to lure Voldemort, he must have tampered with it in some way so he could track its location.
More importantly, this Life Stone contained very little life force or magic left. It was practically useless.
That must have been why Professor Dumbledore had been willing to use it as bait.
In that case, Harley wasn't about to invite trouble by claiming the Life Stone for herself.
She wondered how Voldemort would react if he learned the truth—that all he'd tried to steal was a worthless trinket.
Harley casually tossed the Philosopher's Stone in front of the Magic Mirror and left the room without looking back.
It was nearly four in the morning. She needed to get some sleep, then come up with a suitable excuse to face Professor Dumbledore after she woke up.
Professor Dumbledore was so powerful that he must have some way to monitor everything that had happened here.
So hiding the truth wasn't a wise choice. It would be better to mislead him, or tell him only some of the truth while keeping her deepest secrets hidden.
Back in her dormitory, though she was exhausted, Harley still took a proper shower to wash the dust off herself.
Then she flopped onto her dorm bed, remembering to lift the Slumber curse from her three roommates.
It would be quite a scene if the other dormitories found out the next day that no one could wake any of the four girls in Harley's room.
That morning, Harley felt an itch on her nose, and warm breath brushed against her ear.
Half-asleep, she rolled over and felt herself land on something soft. A startled gasp sounded beside her.
But Harley was too exhausted to pay it any attention.
After a while, Harley finally woke up. She rubbed her eyes and realized she was in a rather indecorous sleeping position, face down on a pillow.
After all, only Harley's silk pillow was that soft.
Harley sat up, eyes still closed, rubbed at the corners of them, then stretched.
Only after she was fully awake did she open her eyes—and see Hermione staring at her in shock...
Hermione?
Harley's eyes widened as she tried to remember what had happened the previous night:
Apparently, after she'd showered and changed into her pajamas, she'd been so tired that she'd climbed into bed without even checking which one was hers.
At the thought, Harley grew anxious and searched her memories, hoping the Demoness of Pleasure's instincts hadn't kicked in.
Once she'd confirmed she hadn't used her current core ability, Harley finally let out a breath. Her racing heart settled down.
Hermione, however, was anything but calm.
"Harley... why did you end up in my bed last night?" the girl asked softly, blushing.
The last part was almost a whisper. If not for the enhanced hearing Harley had gained as an Assassin, she would never have heard it.
"Come on, get up! I'm starving. I'm going to get breakfast."
Hermione made a tiny "Mm" like a mosquito, but didn't move.
Harley paid no mind and quickly slipped back into her own curtained bed to get dressed. She tossed yesterday's filthy night clothes into the laundry basket.
By then, the night clothes had disappeared. By the next evening, they would be clean and neatly laid out on Harley's bed.
Harley always marveled at how convenient and versatile magic was.
Magic might not be as powerful in battle as the Sequence Pathway, but when it came to making life easier, it completely outclassed the Sequence Pathway.
After Harley had finished changing, Hermione finally emerged from behind the curtains, still blushing and fidgeting.
Harley chuckled and headed for the washroom. After returning to being a Demoness of Pleasure, she felt much better.
After enjoying breakfast with Hermione, Harley received a letter from Hedwig.
The writing was the same circular, looping script as on the card that had come with the Invisibility Cloak at Christmas.
It was signed by Dumbledore, who wanted Harley to visit his office.
(Thanks to Lueluelue, Guess What for the tip!)
(Thanks to the Nine-Tailed Flame Fox for the tip!)
(Thanks to Python of the End and God-Slaying Serpent for the tip!)
The chapter almost got flagged, so I had to rein in my powers. Thanks to some big names in the author group for warning me and keeping me from going too far, so this chapter could still meet you all.
Before you continue